Combination cables with a light guide and several electric lines are fundamentally known and are e.g. used in endoscopy systems with an optoelectronic camera, e.g. a CCD camera. The electric lines in the combination cable are used for connecting the optoelectronic camera to a supply and evaluating device, in order to on the one hand supply a supply voltage to the optoelectronic camera end on the other to transfer image data or arrays acquired by the camera to the supply and evaluating device, where evaluation thereof takes place. The light guide in the combination cable is used for transmitting light of a light source located in the supply and evaluating device into the area of the optoelectronic camera, so as to illuminate at least part of the visual range of the optoelectronic camera with light from the light source. In the case of endoscopy systems, the light passing out of the light guide does not necessarily have to directly strike the area to be illuminated and can instead be passed to said area by deflection using a further light guide or other optical means.
The light guide can comprise a monofilament or several light-conducting fibres.
In order to ensure a maximum illumination level at the reception location accompanied by a low power consumption of the light source, the combination cable is normally fixed to the supply and evaluating device. The light guide extends into the vicinity of the light source, so that light from the latter is efficiently fed into the same. This avoids connections between light guides, which either lead to high losses or which can only be produced with considerable effort and expenditure.
However, certain disadvantages result from the fixed connection between combination cable and supply and evaluating device.
Thus, it is only possible to a certain extent to clean and/or sterilize the combination cable, which must generally pass into the vicinity of the patient to be treated, because generally the supply and evaluating device is not sterilizable due to the electronics contained therein.
Moreover, in the case of damage to the combination cable, simple replacement thereof is impossible. Changing between cables of different lengths is also impossible, although such a possibility of change would be desirable particularly when using the endoscopy system for different treatment types.